Shrimp With Hot Fennel Sausage And Polenta Food

SHRIMP WITH HOT FENNEL SAUSAGE AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Make the polenta: Bring 8 cups salted water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Whisk in polenta, continuing to whisk as mixture begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Turn heat to low and let polenta cook slowly, whisking every few minutes for about 10 minutes. Turn heat to very low and continue to cook for least 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. If polenta gets too thick to stir easily, add a bit of water to obtain a porridge-like consistency. (When finished, there should be no raw cornmeal flavor.) Taste a cooled spoonful, then correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Turn off heat, whisk in butter and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping: Heat olive oil in a large, wide skillet over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add shrimp in one layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, until lightly browned. Using tongs, turn shrimp over, season and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. (Shrimp will not be fully cooked.)
• Add onion to pan and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sausage meat and cook, mashing with a large spoon to let sausage crumble into rough half-inch pieces. Continue cooking for 5 to 6 minutes, until mixture is lightly browned. Stir in garlic, red-pepper flakes and rosemary, and cook for 1 minute more.
• Add wine and tomato purée. Simmer for 1 minute and stir in crème fraîche. Turn off heat and check seasoning. Warm a large serving platter. In a small bowl, mix together scallions, capers, parsley and lemon zest.
• To finish, turn heat to high. Add reserved shrimp to sausage mixture and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through and sauce has thickened slightly.
• Mound polenta into middle of platter. Spoon shrimp and sauce around polenta. Sprinkle with scallion mixture and serve. (Alternatively, place a large spoonful of polenta into individual plates or soup bowls and top with shrimp and sauce.)

FENNEL & GARLIC SHRIMP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the fennel and saute for 5 minutes, until tender but not browned. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook at a very low sizzle for 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic just begins to color.
• Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, add them to the pan, and toss together with the fennel and olive oil. Spread the shrimp in one layer and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes on one side. Turn the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes on the other side, until they¿re pink and just cooked through.
• Off the heat, sprinkle with the parsley, 1 tablespoon of chopped fennel fronds, the Pernod (if using), the fleur de sel, and black pepper and serve it with bread to soak up all the pan juices.

GRILLED SHRIMP AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Zest the lemon into a mixing bowl and add the butter, hot sauce and a pinch of salt. Stir until well combined. Gently stir in half of the parsley, reserving the remaining parsley for garnish. Cut the zested lemon into wedges and reserve.
• Prepare a grill or grill pan or for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grates. Thread the tomatoes on the skewers, about 7 tomatoes per skewer. (If using wooden skewers, leave just 1/2 inch of the skewer sticking out on each end so you do not have to soak them). Brush 1 tablespoon of the oil on the tomatoes and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper.
• Brush both sides of the polenta rounds with 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
• Arrange the skewered tomatoes on the hot grill and cook, turning occasionally, until they are lightly charred in spots and have started to burst, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, arrange the polenta on the grill and cook until lightly charred with distinct grill marks, about 5 minutes per side, flipping once using a flat metal spatula. (Be careful not to flip the polenta too early because it will stick to the grill if it is not ready.) Remove from the heat and reserve.
• Toss the shrimp with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Grill until lightly charred in spots on both sides and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes total. Remove from the heat and reserve.
• By this time, the grape tomatoes should be ready to take off the grill as well. Carefully remove the tomatoes from the skewers and place directly into a small bowl. Use the back of a pair of tongs or a spoon to lightly smash the tomatoes so that they release their juices.
• Place 3 pieces of polenta on each plate. In the center of the polenta, spoon a quarter of the tomatoes along with their juices, one quarter of the shrimp and a large dollop of the reserved butter mixture (if it doesn't melt, touch the business end of a pair of tongs to the grill, and then to the butter to finish melting). Garnish with the reserved parsley and wedges of lemon for squeezing on top of each serving.
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SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring clam juice, water, and cream to a boil over medium high heat; gradually whisk in polenta.
• Reduce heat and simmer polenta until thick and tender, stirring constantly, 15 to 20 minutes (halve the time if using cornmeal).
• Stir in hot pepper sauce and season with salt and pepper; cover and keep warm (if it becomes too firm stir in warm water and stir over low heat).
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to skillet.
• Sear about one minute per side, then remove to a plate (will not be cooked through).
• To the skillet, add fennel, tomatoes, shallot, preserved lemon, and garlic.
• Saute until fennel is tender, about 4 minutes.
• Add Pernod, or wine, and boil one minute; add cream boil one minute.
• Return shrimp to skillet, toss until opaque in center, about one minute.
• To serve: spoon polenta onto plates, top with shrimp and sauce.

SAUSAGE AND FENNEL RAGOUT WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO. Add the sausage, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red onions, fennel, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until the veggies wilt and the onions become translucent. While the veggies are cooking, start the polenta.
• In a sauce pot combine 2 1/2 cups of the chicken stock and 1 cup of milk. Season the liquid with salt and pepper. Place over medium-high heat and bring up to a simmer.
• Once the veggies have wilted, add the white wine and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock to the skillet. Turn the heat to high and bring up to a simmer. Cook to reduce the liquids by half, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley.
• To the simmering chicken stock and milk add the polenta and whisk constantly until the cornmeal masses together. It's so cool how fast this happens-right before your eyes! Add the butter and grated cheese, stirring to combine. Keep in mind that polenta is very forgiving; if it becomes too thick, you can always add more warm chicken stock or milk.
• Serve the polenta in a shallow bowl and top with a helping of the sausage and fennel ragout. Garnish with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Buy stock or broth in aseptic boxes rather than cans. They might cost a little more, but the stocks especially have great slow-cooked flavor that really makes fast-cooked food taste rich. Plus, whatever you don't use can go directly into the refrigerator, without having to transfer it from a can. If I know I am not going to use my remaining stock within the next few days, I will transfer it to a resealable plastic bag and freeze it flat. (I have had a small revolution of freezer storage space since embracing the freezing of things flat.)

SHRIMP AND GRITS WITH ROASTED TOMATO, FENNEL, AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a bowl, combine tomato, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper; toss well.
• Arrange tomato halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet; roast until they collapse and are lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes, then set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine fennel, half the reserved fronds, and enough water or broth just to cover; add butter and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until fork tender, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to a plate, discard cooked fronds, but reserve the cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, prepare the grits according to the package directions, seasoning with salt and adding a bay leaf halfway through cooking; once cooked, mix the grits with butter, cream cheese, pepper, lemon juice, and hot sauce.
• Prepare the shrimp about 15 minutes before the grits are done by heating a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat, add oil, and sear shrimp 1 minute per side; add the fennel, sausage, roasted tomatoes, and 1 1/2 cups of the reserved fennel cooking liquid.
• Bring to a simmer, stir in lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and chopped parsley(add more fennel cooking liquid if it seem too dry).
• To serve, divide grits among shallow soup plates, top with shrimp mixture, and garnish with uncooked fennel fronds.

SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH QUICK PRESERVED LEMON AND FENNEL ON POLENTA

Steps:

• For polenta:
• Bring clam juice, 2 1/4 cups water, and cream to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer polenta until thick and tender, stirring constantly, 15 to 20 minutes. Add hot pepper sauce; season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover to keep warm (if polenta becomes firm, add 1/3 cup water and stir over low heat to loosen and rewarm).
• For scampi:
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp on 1 side with coarse salt and pepper. Add to skillet; sear 1 minute per side. Transfer shrimp to plate. Add fennel, tomatoes, shallots, preserved lemon, and garlic. Sauté until fennel is tender, about 4 minutes. Add Pernod; boil 1 minute. Add cream; boil 1 minute. Return shrimp to skillet. Toss until just opaque in center, about 1 minute.
• Spoon polenta onto plates. Top with shrimp and sauce.

FENNEL POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place the fennel bulbs and water in a roasting pan on the lowest rack of the oven, roast about one hour, until very tender. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Chop coarsely, place in a food processor with two tablespoons of the milk and process until smooth. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick enough to allow the spoon to stand up in it, about 15 minutes. Stir in the fennel puree, the chopped fennel greens and the butter. Adjust seasonings.
• Line a baking pan 9 by 13 inches with parchment paper. Spread the polenta in the pan, smooth the surface and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for four hours, until firm.
• Cut the polenta into three-inch squares. Invert the pan to unmold them, then refrigerate them until ready to cook. Reheat the polenta by sauteing it in butter in a nonstick skillet or brushing it with butter or oil and grilling or broiling the squares until they are lightly browned and heated through. Keep in a warm oven until all the squares are browned, then serve.